


summer sun, something's begun

by qjett



Series: but oh, oh those summer nights [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Arcades, Autistic Keith (Voltron), Fluff, Fools in Love, Friends to Lovers, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Milkshakes, Pining Lance (Voltron), Slushies, Young Love, i love these two, its summertime bitches, thats pretty cool thats already a tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 19:24:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15825363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qjett/pseuds/qjett
Summary: Lance meets Keith. Keith is amazing at skee-ball. Lance is in love.





	summer sun, something's begun

**Author's Note:**

> hi! i told myself i was going to post after season 7 and then i didn't because i was emotionally drained BUT i loved the season you guys are just mean.  
> in this story, keith has Asperger's. i do not have this but from what i've seen from people in my family and people i've known and a bit of research, this is what i've gathered. i wrote it from lance's perspective to make it a little easier, but if you know what it's like to be in keith's shoes and i've done something that you feel like correcting, please do! i want to make this as relatable as possible and i love constructive criticism.  
> enjoy! (:

   “I can’t believe you dragged me here, of all places,” Lance grumbled as Pidge pulled his hand into the building. It was the beginning of summer, and instead of headed to the beach like he planned, he was in an absolute shithole of an arcade.

 

   Let’s face it. No one went to arcades anymore when better games were available at the touch of a screen. And they lived in the small, small town of Scale Cove that had nothing compared to its accurately-named neighbor Greater Scale. All the shops and restaurants and beaches were in Greater Scale, while Lance was stuck with a frigid, murky lake and, oh yeah, a shithole of an arcade. And an ice cream place, which actually wasn’t too bad, but still.

 

   “This is our summer vacation,” Lance continued. “Next year is junior year, and it’s gonna be a garbage-fest. I want summer fun! Can’t we enjoy our childhood while it still lasts?”

 

   “You know I can’t understand you when you whine like that,” Pidge rolled her eyes behind her owlish glasses. Her choppy brown hair pinned away from her face since it was too short to be tied, making it stick out from the sides of her head. She was younger than Lance by two years, but skipped a few grades because she was insanely smart (and insanely agitating). “Hunk said he’s meeting us here. We can go to Kaltenecker’s after to get some milkshakes!”

 

   Lance pushed his sunshades up into his hair. He was dressed for the beach, because that was the only way Pidge was getting him out of the house, and his skin was getting sticky from the suntan lotion. The arcade was barren, the lack of noises concerning, and the smell of old pizza was giving Lance a migraine, but he followed Pidge deeper into the rows of old video games. The windows flooded the place with light, which made the flashing of the games less harsh but also made everything feel off. There were probably only three other people in there, including the pimply teen at the counter. It felt like Lance was thrown into a post-apocalyptic world were only the nerdy survived. He shivered.

 

   “Games today, beach tomorrow,” Lance said as they approached Hunk fiercely engaging in a game of Pac-Man.

 

   “Yeah, yeah, sure,” Pidge agreed. She ran over to Hunk and started cheering him on. Lance watched for a bit before becoming incredibly bored. Apparently, they were trying to break a world record or something and it was clear they were nowhere near successful, so Lance decided to wander off to see what else was around.

 

   There was a skee-ball machine a couple of rows away from Pidge and Hunk that he figured couldn’t hurt. He pulled out a bunch of coins and loaded them up for a game. As much as Lance didn’t want to admit it, the game was actually fun. The moment he hit his first 4,000 and it lit up yellow, he really got into it. Before he knew it, he was racking up points above 3,000 like it was nothing. Sometimes he even threw it too hard and it would come rolling back for a second shot, which he always appreciated. After an embarrassing amount of time, Lance stared at his score with a proud look. 43,000 blared in big block letters above the machine. “How’s that for world record?” he grinned, hands on his hips. He wandered back over to Pidge and Hunk, still trying for their own record.

 

   A couple minutes later, Lance noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. There was a boy with black clothes and even blacker hair that strolled in, hands in his pockets and earbuds in his ears. His hair was long enough to be pulled back in a small ponytail at the nape of his neck and his gaze was so intense and boy, if Lance wasn’t a sucker for people who thought they were better than everyone else.

 

   “Whoa, check out cutie on aisle three,” Lance whistled as the boy brushed past. “He’s just what I need – the Danny to my Sandy.”

 

   “I thought you liked being Danny,” Hunk said, his eyebrows furrowed as his hands moved quickly over the controls.

 

   “Yeah, but this guy’s way more Outsiders than I’ll ever be,” Lance sighed wistfully. He watched as the boy went right to the skee-ball machine Lance was just at. “We have the same taste in video games! How cute are we?”

 

   “Lance, kinda busy right now,” Pidge grunted.

 

   “Just because you aren’t boy crazy, Katie,” Lance pouted, “doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t be.”

 

   “What about Allura?” Hunk asked. He hit the dashboard in frustration as the screen flashed GAME OVER.

 

   Lance leaned against the game and shuffled his feet. “Oh, you know. She’s going off to college this summer and I just figure it’s time to move on. She’s been my crush since seventh grade. It’s probably a good idea to quit before she leaves for good.”

 

   “To Pony Boy over there?” Pidge snorted as she moved over the controls for her turn.

 

   “Maybe,” Lance huffed. The boy was rolling the skee-balls like it was no big deal, and Lance kept hearing the celebratory noises the machine made when big points were being scored. He couldn’t help but stare at the pale, toned arms underneath his black t-shirt and his set jaw. Everything screamed “bad boy,” and Lance drunk in every inch.

 

   “Just go talk to him already,” Hunk nudged Lance with a grin.

 

   “He’s spending his summer vacation in an arcade, Hunk,” Lance pointed out.

 

   “And where are you right now?” Hunk guffawed. Lance narrowed his eyes.

 

   “Stop making excuses and go talk to him!” Pidge said a little too loudly for Lance’s taste. Lance stared at the boy longer. Usually he was good at flirting, but not when it came to people he actually had a crush on. And what if the boy wasn’t gay? It would be embarrassing for everyone involved.

 

   “Tomorrow.”

 

\--

 

   “Staring at that door is not going to make him magically appear before your eyes.”

 

   “Pidge, I am not staring at the door.” Lance was sitting on the floor by the same Pac Man machine the next day, sipping his blue raspberry slushy through a straw. The boy from yesterday had not come in yet, not that Lance was looking or anything.

 

   “Sure,” Pidge smiled in that _you can’t bullshit me_ way. “And you definitely didn’t doll yourself up for him when he walks past you, inevitably ignoring you, right?”

 

   Lance looked down at his outfit. “What? Jean shorts are all the rage right now. And these sunshades match my sneakers!”

 

   “You’re wearing literal heart-shaped glasses,” Pidge laughed. Her mouth was stained green from her green-apple slushy. “And a crop-top.”

 

   “Pidge, don’t tease Lance,” Hunk said. He hadn’t started the game yet, opting to chug down his lemon-mango for energy. “He looks adorable in that shirt.”

 

   “Adorable does not get me laid, Garrett,” Lance whined.

 

   “We’re children!” Pidge cried. “We don’t get laid!”

 

   Lance opened his mouth to retort when the bell jingled to signal the door to the arcade opening. The boy from before sulked in, wearing the same black clothing and ponytail that made Lance’s heart race. He was still sporting those earbuds, Lance noticed, as he walked past the trio. Lance waved, but the boy didn’t notice. He went straight to the skee-ball machine and shoved a bunch of coins in the slot.

 

   “Go talk to him!” Hunk stage-whispered as he watched Lance physically deflate.

 

   Lance stood quiet, watching the boy roll the balls like it was nothing. His face was almost expressionless as the last ball rolled up and his final score flashed on the board. Lance couldn’t see what it was, and the lack of reaction gave him nothing. All the boy did was cross his arms, shoving his hands in his armpits and curling in on himself. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before putting in more coins.

 

   “He’s really cute,” Lance sighed. He took one last gulp of his slushy and handed it off to Pidge as he stood. “I’m going in. Wish me luck.”

 

   He rolled his shoulders and applied a healthy layer of Chapstick before striding over to the boy. Since his earbuds were deterring his hearing, the boy didn’t realize Lance had come up near him. Lance put a hand on his hip, tipped his sunshades to the end of his nose, and very smoothly said, “Hey, handsome, are you from outer space? Because you are just out of this – holy _shit_ , seventy-thousand points?!”

 

   His sudden yelling made the boy jerk as his arm rolled the ball. It shot up the ramp and slammed on the glass before rolling into the gutter and finalizing his score with no extra points. He whirled around, eyes wide and mouth set in a grimace.

 

   “What are you doing?” the boy demanded as he pulled out an earbud. He looked away from Lance, eyes darting around the arcade in a desperate attempt to look anywhere else. His hands went back up to his armpits, jaw rigid and posture tense.

 

   “I am so sorry,” Lance but his lip, pushing his glasses into his hair. “I didn’t mean to – I mean, I’ve never seen anyone with a score so high, and you’re – well you know. I mean, you’re – I’m Lance.” He tried to recover by leaning against the skee-ball machine but miscalculated his distance and tripped backwards, jostling the entire machine. The boy flinched. “Ha, sorry,” Lance smiled in a flirty way that ended up more awkward-looking. “Wanna go out?” Straight to the point. Nice.

 

   The boy emitted a sort of grunting noise and shifted uncomfortably. “I have to go home now.”

 

   “Oh,” Lance said softly. Heat rushed into his face and he looked away. “Yeah. See you tomorrow?”

 

   “No…” The boy squinted at the floor and tightened his hold on himself. He then walked past Lance and out the door, leaving Lance standing there crestfallen. It was totally humiliating, especially because Pidge and Hunk had been watching the whole thing. When he trudged back over to them, they at least had the decency to pretend like nothing happened. Unfortunately, neither of them were particularly good actors, so Pidge’s whistling and Hunk inspecting the label on his cup didn’t fool Lance.

 

   “Okay, so that was a disaster,” Lance sighed, sinking to the floor. “What’s wrong with me? Am I so awful that he couldn’t even give me a chance?”

 

   “No!” Hunk reassured. “Lance, you’re the best guy I know. It’s his loss.”

 

   “Yeah,” Pidge nodded. “Plus, his mullet is awful.”

 

   “It’s not so bad,” Lance sniffed. His friends started their game at Lance’s OK, but Lance still felt awful. It was two days into summer vacation and he was already heartbroken. So, yes, it sounded like summer was going exactly how he expected.

 

\--

 

   They didn't go back to the arcade until Monday, two days after Lance getting horribly rejected by the skee-ball machine. He had spent the weekend eating way too much ice cream and soaking up sun at the Greater Scale beach. His sisters Veronica and Rachel tried to cheer him up, but to no avail. Eventually he’d get over it. It only took him four freaking years to get over Allura, so it should be easy-peasy getting over the cute boy whose name he doesn’t even know. Right?

 

   “Maybe this is for the best,” Lance said as he watched Pidge and Hunk battle each other in Street Fighter. They had decided to give Pac Man a rest since they were both getting bored of watching a yellow marble eat tic-tacs. “Do you think Ryan’s single?”

 

   “Kinkade?” Pidge guffawed. “I thought he was with James.”

 

   “He’s not with Nadia?” Hunk asked as his character kicked Pidge’s in the face.

 

   "Nadia's gay, Hunk," Pidge said. She and Hunk decided to get into a debate that Lance wanted no part of. 

 

   Lance rolled his eyes and pouted. He was going to spout off more names of people in their school – Plaxum’s always been nice to him, maybe he should give her a shot – before a rough tapping on his shoulder got his attention. He turned around and was face-to-face with…oh boy.

 

   “You’re usually by Pac Man,” the boy said, avoiding eye contact like usual. “You’re not today.”

 

   “We got tired of it,” Lance replied, breathless. He was even cuter up close, and his eyes looked so purple it was almost black. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his dark jeans, but Lance could still see the outline of them fidgeting.

 

   “I’m Keith,” the boy muttered. “My brother said I should introduce myself. I wasn’t here Saturday because I had other things to do. So. I’m Keith.”

 

   “Hi,” Lance smiled. “Sorry about Friday, it was kind of weird. I just think you’re really cute, and I just wanted to ask you out. But it’s totally okay if you don’t like me back.”

 

   “I know it’s okay,” Keith blinked, furrowing his eyebrows and looking up at the ceiling. “My brother just said that I should try to be friends with you. I’m trying to be friends. Can’t we just do that?”

 

   Lance was taken aback. Keith’s words sounded rude, but his voice was straight-forward, like he was just stating facts. It was a little endearing, actually. His smile widened.

 

   “How’s about I try and beat your skee-ball record?” Lance teased.

 

   “You can try,” Keith said, very matter-of-fact. Lance took it as a challenge.

 

   Pidge and Hunk gave him the thumbs-up as Lance followed Keith to the machine. After what felt like ages, Lance still hadn’t beaten Keith’s score of 90,000. And the only reason his score was so high was because the highest amount of points you could get was 10,000 a ball. Lance felt incredibly inadequate, but it was also really cute how Keith reacted when Lance hit a 10,000. His mouth would twitch into a smile and he’d wrap his arms around himself as Lance cheered. A strange reaction, but a cute one nonetheless.

 

   The fun ended with Keith’s phone chimed with a text. “It’s my brother. I have to go now.”

 

   “Oh,” Lance pouted. “Okay. Sure you don’t want to head over to Kaltenecker’s for milkshakes? I happen to know the owner.” He wiggled his eyebrows, but Keith just stood passive.

 

   “No,” he said, and it was just that. “I have to go.”

 

   “Can I walk you out?” Lance smiled sheepishly, a last-ditch effort to see Keith a little longer. Keith shrugged. He walked off and Lance followed him like a puppy.

 

   “Be right back,” he said to his friends as he passed them. Pidge winked and Hunk beamed. Outside the arcade, a tall and muscular man with black hair and a prosthetic arm was leaning against a truck. He smiled when he saw Keith and Lance, which brightened up his intimidating demeanor and made him even more attractive, if that was possible.

 

   “Ready, Keith?” the man asked as they neared the truck. Keith nodded and went to climb into the passenger seat before the man stopped him. “Keith. What did we talk about?”

 

   Keith grunted and looked to the sky. “Good-bye, Lance. See you tomorrow.” Then he climbed into the truck and sat there, staring blankly ahead.

 

   “Bye, Keith,” Lance waved.

 

   “Hi, I’m Takashi,” the man said, extending a hand for Lance to shake. He did. “You can just call me Shiro, though. I’m Keith’s brother. He’s told me all about you.”

 

   “Oh, that’s fantastic,” Lance's smile was rigid with embarrassment. “More people know about my very public humiliation. That’s great, really.”

 

   Shiro laughed good-naturedly. “I found it amusing. Keith needs more friends, especially fun ones like you. He’s…” Shiro opened his mouth to say something more, but thought better of it and shook his head. “I don’t like to talk about Keith when he’s not here to listen. But know that he means the world to me, and if you even think you can brush him off or ditch him or make fun of him in any way…” He didn’t say anything else, and he was still smiling, but his intimidating nature was back.

 

   “I get it,” Lance coughed. “I like Keith. As a friend. I wouldn’t hurt him, not consciously, anyway.”

 

   “Good,” Shiro patted Lance’s shoulder. A loud honk from the horn of the car startled them, and Lance looked to see Keith leaning across the armrest to honk the horn. “That’s my cue. I look forward to seeing you more often, Lance.”

 

   Lance nodded and watched as Shiro hopped into the truck and waved good-bye. The car peeled away, out of the parking lot and out of sight. He was positively floating when he walked back into the arcade. Pidge and Hunk had the biggest shit-eating grins on their faces when they spotted Lance and his lovestruck expression.

 

   “Nice going, lover boy,” Pidge cackled as they gathered their things to leave the arcade. “You actually scored.”

 

   “We’re just friends,” Lance brushed off, face warm and stomach fluttery. Pidge and Hunk nudged each other, but Lance was too distracted to care.

 

   He couldn’t wait to see Keith tomorrow.

 

\--

 

   For two weeks, Lance would wait for Keith at the arcade with Hunk and Pidge and they would play skee-ball. Lance never came close to beating Keith’s record, but it was fine because he was with Keith. A couple of days in, Keith noticed Lance’s blue tongue and mentioned he loved cherry slushies, and from that day forward Lance would buy an extra slushy at the convenience store down the street just for Keith. They fell into a routine, and Lance fell in love.

 

   Keith had met Pidge and Hunk, but preferred talking to Lance more. He also sipped his slushy too fast and his face would scrunch up when he got brain freeze and he made his adorable grunting noises Lance came to recognize as his way of speaking without actually having to speak. He was also ambidextrous, something Lance picked up from watching him switch hands to roll the skee-balls up the ramp. These little things Lance held dear to his heart, because it was always one more thing to fall in love with.

 

   Pidge was always a little taken aback by Keith’s stand-offish-ness, but was never mean to him. And Hunk was ever the sweetheart, patient while Keith talked and processed the world around him. And every day after they were done, Shiro came to pick up Keith and pat Lance on the back. It was perfect.

 

   “I always forget to ask,” Lance said one day as they sat outside the arcade sipping their slushies, “why the earbuds? I mean, what are you always listening to?”

 

   Keith never looked him in the eyes, but Lance always knew he was listening. “I don’t like loud noises. Sometimes the arcade gets loud and it…it feels like scraping my nails across a chalkboard. Shiro said I should listen to music, because I don’t like loud noises. Listen.” He handed Lance an earbud and he took it, waiting as Keith played a song.

 

   A voice croaked from the bud, _trying hard to make memories to remember from youth, desperately wanting you to be interested too_ … Lance closed his eyes as he listened to the music, imagining Keith as he walked the arcade listening to this. He imagined him in Shiro’s car, in a library, walking down school hallways, listening to just this. Since it was near the end, it faded fast and into another song by the same artist.

 

   “Wow,” Lance breathed. He opened his eyes and Keith was staring right at him, inspecting every inch of his face. Lance blushed under Keith’s scrutinizing stare. “Um, who sings that?”

 

   “Rex Orange County,” Keith answered. “I like him. His voice is nice. You like him, too, don’t you? I listen to this instead of listening to the loud noises.” He clenched and unclenched his fists, something Lance picked up and figured it must be a nervous tic.

 

   “I like him,” Lance nodded. He looked at Keith’s face, the slope of his nose and the slant of his eyes and the pink of his lips. He felt a smile bloom on his face. “I like him a lot.”

 

\--

 

   “Chocolate milkshake, please.”

 

   “Sure thing, kiddo,” chirped Coran, the owner of Kaltenecker’s Shakes who Lance has known ever since he was a kid. “You look a bit blue, Lance. What’s got you down?”

 

   Lance put his head in his hands as he sat on a bar stool, waiting for his milkshake. “I’ve got boy troubles, Coran.”

 

   “Well, that’s no good,” Coran said. He started the shake machine and waited to hear Lance finish.

 

   “No, it’s not,” Lance frowned. “I really like him, but he doesn’t feel the same way. But he wants to hang out with me, so what am I supposed to do with that? He’s just…so fantastic.”

 

   “Oh, to be young and in love,” Coran smiled wistfully. He finished the shake and poured it into a glass for Lance, who gulped it down. “How do you know he doesn’t like you, too?”

 

   Lance shrugged. “I don’t know. He said he just wanted to be friends when I asked him out. Or he said he wanted to try.”

 

   “Why don’t you give it another shot?” Coran asked. Lance paused. Would Keith go for it? It couldn’t hurt.

 

   “Maybe I will. Thanks, Coran.”

 

   “That’s what I’m here for,” Coran said, “to give advice to the young and impressionable.”

 

   Lance finished up his milkshake, paid, and left the shop. He was going to ask out Keith, and Keith was going to say yes. Or he wouldn’t. But Lance was going to ask out Keith.

 

   When they met up the next day, Lance had a bag of Keith’s favorite candy, sour gummy worms, along with his cherry slushy. He was nervous the entire time they were together, and the looks Pidge and Hunk were giving Lance were not helping. By the time Lance was walking Keith out the door, he was sweating through his favorite tank top. He wanted to take off his snapback, but he was afraid of the mess that was his sweaty hair. So this was going great.

 

   “So, Keith…” Lance kicked his feet at the ground as they waited for Shiro. Keith was wearing the same black clothes he always did (“Why the all black?” “Regularity.”), but he still looked amazing. “I wanted to ask you something.”

 

   “Then ask,” Keith prompted.

 

   “Do you…maybewannagooutwithmebecauseyou’rereallyamazingandIreallylikeyou?”

 

   Keith blinked. “Um…what?”

 

   Lance took a breath. “Do you want to go out with me?”

 

   Keith widened his eyes and held himself tight, something Lance figured was just another tic. “I-I don’t…you want to?”

 

   “Yes,” Lance laughed.

 

   “Okay, so don’t do that.” Keith grit his teeth and closed his eyes. “I don’t know if you’re bullshitting me or what, but if you’re joking, I don’t find it funny at all.”

 

   “Why would you think I was joking?” Lance asked.

 

   “Because…” Keith let out a grunt and held himself even tighter. “I have Asperger’s. I can’t pick up on social cues and I don’t know when I’m being patronized. I don’t know if you’re joking. I don’t know if you like me. I don’t know why you’d like me.”

 

   Lance felt like he was hit with a ton of bricks. Keith had…oh. Oh. It all started to fall in place. Everything Lance witnessed, everything he loved about Keith, from his weird way of stating phrases like they were facts to his constant fidgeting. His head dropped in realization.

 

   “Say something,” Keith said gently, still looking to the sky.

 

   He was about to when Pidge and Hunk came barreling out the same time Shiro pulled in. They were raucous and it jerked them out of their more serious conversation. Lance looked to Keith, who was fidgeting more than usual.

   “How’d it go?” Pidge asked in a sing-song-y voice. “Did Loverboy Lance finally get the balls to ask you out?”

 

   “Ask you out?” Shiro walked out the truck and leaned against it. He gave Keith a concerned look.

 

   “I…” Lance tried to speak, but words failed. It was like everything was going in slow motion and all Lance could see was Keith, who was getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute. Hunk wrapped Keith up in a hug and squeezed him tight. Pidge chattered on and on about how much Lance had liked him, really slathering it on thick. They must have assumed the conversation went the way it was supposed to, but this wasn’t out of left field – it was out of the ballpark entirely.

 

   “Well, maybe we should head home –” Shiro started, but a scream ripped through the air. Hunk put Keith down, who was red in the face with tears in his eyes. He was gripping himself tighter and tighter as another scream came out of him.

 

   “T-too much,” he sniffed, tears trailing down his face.

 

   “Keith…” Lance wanted to say so much, he wanted to hold Keith, or do something other than stand there stupidly.

 

   “I’m going h-home,” Keith sobbed, walking into the truck. Shiro gave them an apologetic look and went into the truck with Keith, and they drove away.

 

   “What the heck was that all about?” Pidge asked.

 

   “He’s, like, autistic,” Lance muttered.

 

   “Lance,” Hunk chastised, “it’s not nice to call someone autistic.”

 

   “He told me,” Lance replied. He was still in a daze from whatever just happened. “I asked him out, and he asked why, and I said why not, and then he told me that. I didn’t get to tell him that I love him no matter what.”

 

   “Oh,” Hunk whispered. A quiet fell over the trio, none of them knowing what to do. Hunk decided on hugging Lance, which Pidge joined in on, and before Lance knew it he was crying.

 

   “Maybe we’re just not meant to be,” Lance cried. “Maybe he’s never liked me. He probably hates me now.”

 

   They tried to console him, but their reassurances fell on deaf ears. Lance had to figure a way to make this up to Keith, and fast. He didn’t feel like giving up just yet. But Keith didn’t show up at the arcade the next day. Or the next. Lance was starting to lose all hope until he bumped into Shiro at the supermarket a couple of days after Keith not coming back.

 

   “Oh,” Lance said as he turned into the cereal aisle and saw Shiro choosing between Frosted Flakes and Apple Jacks.

 

   “Lance,” Shiro smiled and lowered the two boxes. “Nice to see you.”

 

   “Is it?” Lance said, only half-joking. “Is, um, Keith here?”

 

   Shiro looked back to the boxes. “He’s at home.”

 

   “Oh.”

 

   “…He misses you.” Lance perked up. “He does? Did he actually say that, or are you just getting my hopes up?”

 

   “You must be Lance.” A tall man with glasses and shaggy hair walked past him to put a gallon of milk in the cart. He squeezed Shiro’s shoulder and leaned against the cart. “I’m Adam. And for the record, he does miss you.”

 

   “Do you mind telling him I miss him, too?” Lance asked quietly.

 

   Adam and Shiro went soft. “Of course,” Shiro said with a smile.

 

   “And…could you tell him to meet me at Kaltenecker’s tomorrow?” Lance added. “I just want to apologize for everything. I don’t want things to end on a sour note.”

 

   “That’s where we had our first date,” Adam beamed, gazing at Shiro with fond eyes. “He’d love to meet you there.”

 

   “You guys are together?” Lance looked between the two men, trying to piece it together.

 

   “Engaged,” Shiro held up a hand with a gold band on the ring finger.

 

   “He asked me out in the bathroom of Kaltenecker’s,” Adam said dryly.

 

   Lance cocked his head. “And you said yes?”

 

   Adam laughed loudly as Shiro went red. “Oh, whatever. He was cute and I was nervous. We’ll tell Keith to be there at two.”

 

   He was in high spirits as he waited for Keith at Kaltenecker’s fifteen minutes earlier than he should’ve been the next day. Coran had made him a chocolate milkshake and was just as eager to see Keith as Lance was.

 

   “He’ll come, right?” Lance asked, swirling the shake around with his straw. “Shiro and Adam said he really missed me, so that means he’s coming, right?”

 

   “Of course he’ll come, son,” Coran said. “I can feel it in my bones.”

 

   Lance watched the door with an intent stare and his heart almost stopped when Keith walked in, 2 o’clock on the dot. He was wearing the same clothes, with one earbud in as he walked. Lance forgot how much he missed seeing him, and within seconds his cheeks were already hurting from smiling too much.

 

   “Keith,” Lance waved him over, unable to contain himself. The boy shuffled to the bar where Lance sat and slid in next to him.

 

   “Hi,” Keith said. “Is this our date?”

 

   Lance coughed on his milkshake, spluttering as he tried to say something. “We’re on a date?”

 

   “I hope so,” Keith muttered, “or else that was awkward.”

 

   Lance laughed. “This can be our date. Yes, I want this to be our date. But I have to say a few things first.”

 

   Keith stared at the bar, waiting for Lance to continue.

 

   “I’m sorry for the other day,” Lance sighed. “I still like you, I’ve always liked you, and I really do want to give this a shot. I like everything about you, and that includes you having Asperger’s. I just didn’t say that stuff because I was in shock. But I like you. A lot. Even when you beat me in skee-ball every time.”

 

   Keith pursed his lips and clenched his fists. “You mean all that?”

 

   “Really truly,” Lance blushed.

 

   “Even though I get overwhelmed?” Keith asked.

 

   “When I get mad my eye twitches. We all have our way of processing things.”

 

   “Even when I say rude things?”

 

   “Your brutal honesty keeps me sane.”

 

   “Even when –”

 

   “You ask a lot of questions?” Lance finished. “Yeah. Even then.”

 

   Keith broke out into a smile and intertwined his fingers. Lance reached over and gingerly placed a hand over his clasped ones. Their eyes met, and Keith’s face went red. He stared up at he ceiling to avoid eye contact, but Lance didn’t mind. He liked looking at Keith without the added awkwardness of the other boy looking back.

 

   “Do you want a shake?” Lance rubbed his thumb over Keith’s knuckles, his heart kicking into overdrive.

 

   “Strawberry, please,” Keith whispered. Lance ordered a strawberry shake for Keith and they sat in their stools, Lance listening to Keith talk in the quiet shop and watching his eyes dart from his glass to the jukebox to the posters on the wall. It was hours before Shiro came to pick up Keith, who promised to see him the next day at the arcade.

 

   “And then maybe catch a movie?” Lance asked hopefully, biting his lip.

 

   “No,” Keith said, and then gave a quick smile. “Shakes.”

 

   Lance grinned. “See you then.” He watched them drive away, his heartrate yet to slow and his fingers yet to cease tingling with Keith’s touch. He felt the summer start to fill with promise, and the smile that split his face was unprecedented.

 

   Lance skipped all the way home.

**Author's Note:**

> *record scratch* i bet you're wondering how i got here.  
> so here's my train of thought - i'm at this camp place for a few days and i can't stop playing skee-ball. i just got two puppies and their names are beni and jett like the elton john song, so i've got elton stuck in my head. the constant skee-balling reminds me of that one song pinball wizard and it's stuck in my head and i'm like. oh shit. klance. and then i got summer night from grease stuck in my head and i was like. OH SHIT. KLANCE. and THEN i was like, hold up, q. make it a three part series for june, july, and august and finish it all before you go back to school the 29th! oh, and did i mention that THIS WAS SUNDAY NIGHT. AS IN THE 26TH. and that's how i ended up spending the last days of my vacation writing about these two idiots because what else am i going to do right?  
> also drinking game take a shot every time i time skip or make my characters confess things all at once due to lazy writing.  
> i hope you guys liked it feel free to leave kudos and stay tuned for the second part of the series where i write about camp counselor keith and lifeguard lance because summer romances right?  
> and adam is in this because dreamworks did him dirty and adashi deserves happiness thank you goodbye


End file.
